Remember when M.I.A. flipped America off, and we pretended to give a damn? (Well, some of us didn't pretend.) Apparently this is a thing we're still talking about, because on Friday Madonna spoke to acclaimed journalist Ryan Seacrest about The Middle Finger Seen 'Round the World. MTV News has the full report.

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I was really surprised. I didn't know anything about it. I wasn't happy about it. I understand it's punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy and positivity; it seemed negative.

Seemed, Madonna? Nay, was. I didn't have much of an opinion on M.I.A.'s middle finger until now — but the bullshit criticism that it took away from feelings of peace and unity has turned me into a vocal supporter. Surely the middle finger says a lot more than Madonna's "WORLD PEACE" projection. Not that, under most circumstances, I wouldn't prefer world peace to "fuck you."

Look, I don't think M.I.A. flipping us off was quite the brash statement she'd intended, but I do love how seriously people continue to take it. Surely Madonna remembers her wild days, her mad existence. And yet, here she is, lambasting M.I.A. for being a free-thinking brat instead of giving in to the lovefest.

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It's such a teenager, irrelevant thing to do. ... There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place.

Lots of things about that halftime show were "out of place," Madonna, but we managed to soldier on. I suppose Madonna had to say something — Seacrest would have poked her incessantly about it otherwise — but why so holier-than-thou? When Madonna says something is in poor taste, she better be referring to, I don't know, live human sacrifice. Getting worked up about a middle finger is a bit of a stretch.